Today is Monday, Oct. 21, the 295th day of 2024. There are 71 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Oct. 21, 2014, Paralympic runner Oscar Pistorius was convicted of culpable homicide for shooting and killing his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp. The conviction was later upgraded to murder; Pistorius was released on parole in January 2024.

Also on this date:

In 1797, the U.S. Navy frigate Constitution, also known as “Old Ironsides,” was christened in Boston’s harbor.

In 1805, a British fleet commanded by Adm. Horatio Nelson defeated a French-Spanish fleet in the Battle of Trafalgar; Nelson, however, was killed.

In 1940, Ernest Hemingway’s novel “For Whom the Bell Tolls” was first published.

In 1944, U.S. troops captured the German city of Aachen (AH’-kuhn) — the first German city to fall to American forces in World War II.

In 1959, the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Guggenheim Museum opened in New York.

In 1966, 144 people, 116 of them children, were killed when a coal waste landslide engulfed a school and some 20 houses in Aberfan, Wales.

In 2013, a seventh grader at Sparks Middle School in Sparks, Nevada, shot and killed a teacher and wounded two classmates before taking his own life.

In 2021, Actor Alec Baldwin was pointing a gun on a movie set in New Mexico when it went off and killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and wounded director Joel Souza. Charges of involuntary manslaughter against Baldwin were dropped in July 2024.

Today’s Birthdays:

• Rock singer Manfred Mann is 84.
• TV’s Judge Judy Sheindlin is 82.
• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is 75.
• Former first daughter Patti Davis is 72.
• Film director Catherine Hardwicke is 69.
• Actor Ken Watanabe (wah-tah-NAH’-bee) is 65.
• Sen. Ted Budd, R-N.C., is 53.
• Actor Will Estes is 46.
• Reality TV star Kim Kardashian (kahr-DASH’-ee-uhn) is 44.
• MLB pitcher Zack Greinke is 41.
• Actor Glenn Powell is 36.
• Country singer Kane Brown is 31.
• Singer Doja Cat is 29.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Jake Bates kicked a 44-yard field goal with 15 seconds left and the Detroit Lions beat Minnesota 31-29 on Sunday, handing the Vikings their first loss in a back-and-forth game befitting of the NFL’s strongest division.

Jahmyr Gibbs rushed for 116 yards and two of Detroit’s three second-quarter touchdowns. He also helped Jared Goff guide the Lions 48 yards in four plays to get in range for their rookie kicker while forcing the Vikings to burn their timeouts. Bates is 10 for 10 on field goals this season.

Goff went 22 for 25 for 280 yards with two touchdowns and no turnovers in his third straight game with a 140-plus passer rating, joining Aaron Rodgers (2011), Kurt Warner (1999) and Roger Staubach (1971) as the only quarterbacks in NFL history to accomplish the feat.

Gibbs had 150 total yards to spearhead a commanding performance by the Lions (5-1) at the line of scrimmage against the defense that entered the week with a rushing average per play (3.6) allowed that was the second-best in the league.

Ivan Pace Jr. returned David Montgomery’s fumble 35 yards for a touchdown with 5:50 remaining to give the Vikings (5-1) a one-point lead after they trailed 21-10 at halftime, but Sam Darnold’s crucial 2-point conversion pass sailed past Justin Jefferson.

The Vikings neared midfield on their last-gasp possession, but they were too far away for their own perfect rookie Will Reichard to attempt a field goal. Darnold was sacked to end the game and give the Lions their fourth consecutive victory over the Vikings for their longest streak in the series since 1961-63.

Aaron Jones rushed for 93 yards and a TD for Minnesota despite being listed as questionable with a hamstring injury. Jefferson had 81 yards receiving and a touchdown, and Reichard made three field goals, including a 57-yarder.

Darnold went 22 for 27 for 259 yards, but he spoiled a promising drive in the second quarter when the Vikings needed to regain some rhythm by ignoring a wide-open Jones in the flat off a play-action fake and forcing a throw to Jordan Addison that was intercepted by a diving Brian Branch.

The Lions played a second quarter for the ages. They had three scoring drives that all covered at least 69 yards on the strength of some shrewd play-calling by offensive coordinator Ben Johnson that rendered the chess moves by Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores moot, as Goff beat blitz after blitz.

Takeaways as Lions overcome disastrous fumble, defeat Vikings, 31-29

Injury report

Lions: RB Montgomery (knee) limped off in the first quarter but returned before halftime. … RG Kevin Zeitler (groin) was inactive, and his backup Kayode Awosika was flagged twice for holding and once for a false start in the first quarter. One holding call was declined by the Vikings because they sacked Goff on the play.

Vikings: LB Blake Cashman (toe) was inactive.

Up next

Lions: Host the Tennessee Titans next Sunday afternoon.

Vikings: Play at the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night.

— By DAVE CAMPBELL, Associated Press

Photo gallery from the Lions-Vikings first-place showdown in Minnesota

Jake Bates kicked a 44-yard field goal with 15 seconds left and the Detroit Lions beat Minnesota 31-29 on Sunday, handing the Vikings their first loss in a back-and-forth game befitting of the NFL's strongest division.

Jahmyr Gibbs rushed for 116 yards and two of Detroit's three second-quarter touchdowns. He also helped Jared Goff guide the Lions 48 yards in four plays to get in range for their rookie kicker while forcing the Vikings to burn their timeouts. Bates is 10 for 10 on field goals this season.

Goff went 22 for 25 for 280 yards with two touchdowns and no turnovers in his third straight game with a 140-plus passer rating, joining Aaron Rodgers (2011), Kurt Warner (1999) and Roger Staubach (1971) as the only quarterbacks in NFL history to accomplish the feat.

Gibbs had 150 total yards to spearhead a commanding performance by the Lions (5-1) at the line of scrimmage against the defense that entered the week with a rushing average per play (3.6) allowed that was the second-best in the league.

Ivan Pace Jr. returned David Montgomerys fumble 35 yards for a touchdown with 5:50 remaining to give the Vikings (5-1) a one-point lead after they trailed 21-10 at halftime, but Sam Darnold's crucial 2-point conversion pass sailed past Justin Jefferson.

The Vikings neared midfield on their last-gasp possession, but they were too far away for their own perfect rookie Will Reichard to attempt a field goal. Darnold was sacked to end the game and give the Lions their fourth consecutive victory over the Vikings for their longest streak in the series since 1961-63.

Aaron Jones rushed for 93 yards and a TD for Minnesota despite being listed as questionable with a hamstring injury. Jefferson had 81 yards receiving and a touchdown, and Reichard made three field goals, including a 57-yarder.

Darnold went 22 for 27 for 259 yards, but he spoiled a promising drive in the second quarter when the Vikings needed to regain some rhythm by ignoring a wide-open Jones in the flat off a play-action fake and forcing a throw to Jordan Addison that was intercepted by a diving Brian Branch.

The Lions played a second quarter for the ages. They had three scoring drives that all covered at least 69 yards on the strength of some shrewd play-calling by offensive coordinator Ben Johnson that rendered the chess moves by Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores moot, as Goff beat blitz after blitz.

Injury report

Lions: RB Montgomery (knee) limped off in the first quarter but returned before halftime. ... RG Kevin Zeitler (groin) was inactive, and his backup Kayode Awosika was flagged twice for holding and once for a false start in the first quarter. One holding call was declined by the Vikings because they sacked Goff on the play.

Vikings: LB Blake Cashman (toe) was inactive.

Up next

Lions: Host the Tennessee Titans next Sunday afternoon.

Vikings: Play at the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night.

___

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

In a game where both teams rallied from double-digit deficits, the Lions got a 44-yard field goal from rookie kicker Jake Bates to beat the Minnesota Vikings, 31-29, Sunday’s road win giving the Lions a share of first place in the NFC North Division.

Check out all the sights from Sunday’s game here:

 

Oregon became the fourth team this season to hold the No. 1 ranking in The Associated Press college football poll, moving into the top spot on Sunday for the first time in 12 years after Texas lost at home to Georgia.

Vanderbilt made its first appearance since the 2013 season, at No. 25, and defending national champion Michigan fell out after a second straight loss dropped it to 4-3.

Unbeaten Oregon followed its one-point home win over Ohio State with its first road shutout in 32 years, a 35-0 rout of Purdue, and received 59 of 61 first-place votes.

Georgia, which has won three straight games since its loss to Alabama, made a three-spot jump to No. 2 on the strength of its 30-15 win at previously No. 1 Texas. The Bulldogs got the other two first-place votes.

No. 3 Ohio State and No. 4 Penn State were idle Saturday and held their spots. Texas dropped to No. 5 after Georgia held it 28 points under its scoring average.

Miami prevailed in a wild game at Louisville and remained No. 6, and Tennessee rose four spots to No. 7 following its win over Alabama. LSU, Clemson and Iowa State rounded out the top 10.

No team this season has held the No. 1 spot for more than three straight weeks. Georgia topped the poll in the preseason but a one-point win at unranked Kentucky in Week 3 bumped the Bulldogs out. Texas took over for two weeks, then gave way to Alabama following the Crimson Tide’s win over Georgia.

Alabama lasted one week at No. 1, getting upset at Vanderbilt after its win over Georgia. That allowed Texas to return to the top for two weeks.

Chip Kelly was coach of the only other Oregon teams to reach No. 1. The 2012 Ducks, led by Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota, were in the top spot for one week in November 2012 after following a 10-0 start with a loss to Stanford. The 2010 team, which lost to Auburn in the BCS title game, spent six weeks at No. 1.

Poll points

This marks the first time since 2012 that four teams will play a game as the No. 1 team in the same season. Oregon was among the four that year. The others were Southern California, Alabama and Notre Dame. The other seasons since 2000 with four or more No. 1 teams were 2007 (4), 2008 (6) and 2010 (4).

Tennessee’s 24-17 win over Alabama produced the biggest moves in the poll. The Volunteers jumped from No. 11 to No. 7. The Crimson Tide dropped eight spots to No. 15, their lowest ranking since 2010.

Texas’ loss to Georgia was the first by a No. 1 team at home against a top-five opponent since Miami beat Florida State 17-16 in 1991.

In-and-out

Vanderbilt’s previous ranking was No. 24 in the final poll of the 2013 season. The Commodores, who beat Ball State to improve to 5-2, are off to their best start since opening 5-0 in 2008. That also was the last time Vandy was ranked in the regular season.

Michigan, which scored its fewest points in a game since 2014 in its 21-7 loss at Illinois, had been ranked in 54 consecutive polls since 2021.

Conference call

SEC 9 — (Nos. 2, 5, 7, 8, 14, 15, 18, 21, 25).

Big Ten — 5 (Nos. 1, 3, 4, 13, 20).

ACC — 4 (Nos. 6, 9, 19, 22).

Big 12 — 3 (Nos. 10, 11, 16).

American — 2 (Nos. 23, 24).

Mountain West — 1 (No. 17).

Independent — 1 (No. 12).

Ranked vs. Ranked

—No. 20 Illinois at No. 1 Oregon. The Illini play the top-ranked team for the first time since 2007. They won 28-21 at Ohio State that year.

—No. 5 Texas at No. 25 Vanderbilt. First matchup since these teams met 12 times between 1899-1928. Commodores haven’t beaten two Top 25 opponents in the same season since 2008.

—No. 8 LSU at No. 14 Texas A&M. This has become one of the SEC’s better series lately. The teams have split their last three meetings.

—No. 12 Notre Dame at No. 24 Navy. This will be the 11th time in 97 meetings, and first since 2019, that both teams are ranked when they meet.

—No. 21 Missouri at No. 15 Alabama. Nothing comes easily for either team this season. The two-loss Crimson Tide haven’t dropped three games before November since 2006.

— By ERIC OLSON, Associated Press

Jonathan Kim kicked a school-record six field goals and Aidan Chiles threw for 256 yards and a touchdown to lead Michigan State to a 32-20 victory over Iowa on Saturday night.

Chiles also ran for 51 yards for the Spartans (4-3, 2-2 Big Ten), who snapped a three-game losing streak.

Its a big win, said Chiles who completed 22 of 30 passes. Like I said in my interview this past week, its a new season for us. So starting off 1-0 was beautiful, and now were trying to go 2-0. Really simple as that, just keep stacking it day by day and week by week.

Kaleb Johnson, who entered as the nations No. 2 rusher, was held to 98 yards on 14 carries for the Hawkeyes (4-3, 2-2 Big Ten).

Cade McNamara capped a 58-yard drive at the start of the second half with an 18-yard touchdown pass to Reese Vander Zee, pulling the Hawkeyes within 12-7.

The Spartans responded on the following drive with an 18-yard touchdown pass from Chiles to Montorie Foster Jr. to put them up 19-7.

Backup quarterback Brendan Sullivan then answered for Iowa with a 2-yard touchdown run with 49 seconds left in the third quarter.

Kims 55- and 46-yard field goals in the fourth quarter gave Michigan State a 25-14 lead with 7:34 remaining. Kims kicks eclipsed the record five field goals by former Spartans Paul Edinger and John Langeloh.

Im just happy Im able to go out and just help this team win, said Kim who has made 15 of 16 field goals this season. Its an honor to be able to set that record.

Johnson cut the deficit to 25-20 only 12 seconds later when he broke free on a 75-yard touchdown run. The Spartans sealed the win with a 1-yard scoring run by Nate Carter with 2:03 left.

They pushed us throughout the second half, got it within one score a couple of times, said Michigan State coach Jonathan Smith. And the response from this group was, was huge.

Michigan State dominated Iowa in the first half in jumping to a 12-0 lead. Kim hit field goals of 42 and 43 yards in the first quarter and then from 36 and 29 yards in the second quarter. He missed a 55-yarder at the end of the half.

The Hawkeyes were outgained 250-58 in the opening half, including only 28 yards rushing.

I just think overall, we we play better when we have some rhythm and we weren't able to, said McNamara. "We werent able to get any rhythm. It was a lack of execution I think in the first half.

Overall, I think I just need to play better. At the end of the day as quarterback, I have to play better in order for us to win. And I didnt do that tonight.

The takeaway

Iowa: The Hawkeyes continued to struggle with their passing game, throwing for only 150 yards. Iowa came into the game ranked 127th out of 133 FBS teams. McNamara was held to 3-of-9 passing for 30 yards in the first half and finished with 11 of 23 completions for 150 yards and an interception.

Michigan State: The Spartans, which were coming off a bye, put together their best performance of the season in all phases of the game. The defense was able to hold Johnson in check for most of the game, the offense was able to move the ball against Iowas stout defense and Kim connected on six of seven field-goal attempts.

I think were still a lot better than what we showed today, Chiles said. We did great getting to that red zone, but we got to finish now. Kim can make his kicks, but we also want to get in the end zone.

Up next

Iowa: Hosts Northwestern on Saturday.

Michigan State: Travels to Michigan on Saturday.

___

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Luke Altmyer threw for a touchdown and ran for another, leading No. 22 Illinois to a 21-7 victory over No. 24 Michigan on Saturday.

The Illini wore 1924 throwback uniforms to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Red Granges six-touchdown performance against Michigan on the day Memorial Stadium was dedicated.

Tanner Arkin caught a 2-yard touchdown pass from Altmyer in the second quarter and raced 36 yards on a fake punt in the third to set up Altmyers 1-yard TD run.

Illinois (6-1, 3-1 Big Ten) beat Michigan for the first time since 2009. The Illini had lost six straight to the Wolverines (4-3, 2-2).

Defending national champion Michigan scored its fewest points since 2014 and has lost back-to-back games for the first time since 2020.

Jabe Jacas had 13 tackles, including six solo and 2.5 of the Illinis five sacks of Jack Tuttle, and forced a fumble.

Altmyer was just 9-of-18 passing for 80 yards. He also ran for 48 yards on 10 carries.

This is what I came here for," said fourth-year Illinois coach Bret Bielema. "Ive heard so many times about things we havent done here. Leave the past in the past. Lets move forward.

"For this first time, I felt like we had a home-field advantage today. I want today to be the standard. We had a crowd that affected the game."

A sellout crowd of 60,670 turned out for the stadium rededication and celebration of Grange and the Illini's 39-14 win over the previously unbeaten Wolverines in 1924. Grange, the greatest player of his time and known as the Galloping Ghost," scored four touchdowns in the first 12 minutes of that game. In a nod to him and his teammates, the Illini of 2024 wore uniforms reflecting the style of that era complete with helmets that had the appearance of leather helmets.

Tuttle, Michigans third starting quarterback this season, was 20 of 32 for 208 yards. Kalel Mullings rushed for 87 yards on 19 carries and a touchdown and Colston Loveland had seven catches for 83 yards.

Not including the pandemic season, Michigan is out to its worst start since 2014 after having made the College Football Playoff three straight years.

Playoffs? That's out of the picture for us, Loveland said. "Now we just have to start wrecking peoples seasons. But this is unacceptable. Were letting a lot of people down.

The Illini opened the second half with Arkins' long run on the fake punt. He grabbed the snap headed to punter Hugh Robertson and ran to the Michigan 16.

Altmyer's touchdown four plays later, and Donovan Leary's two-point pass to Zakhari Franklin made it 21-7. Leary, the Illini backup quarterback, was in for conversion play because Altmyer's helmet fell off during his TD run.

We were waiting for the right opportunity and the right moment, Bielema said about the fake punt. We repped it for two weeks. Henry Boyer and T.J. McMullen had big blocks to spring Tanner.

The Illini led 13-7 at half and could have been further ahead. They drove deep into Michigan territory five times but scored just one touchdown on the pass from Altmyer to Arkin and David Alano's two field goals.

Michigan crossed into Illinois territory for the first time late in the first half and scored on Mullings' 1-yard dive on fourth down with 1:40 left in the second quarter.

THE TAKEAWAY

Illinois: The Illini appear to have recovered from their second-half meltdown last week against one-win Purdue, when they blew a 27-3 third-quarter lead, fell behind in the final minute of regulation and won 50-49 in overtime.

Michigan: The Wolverines offense continues to struggle. Tuttle missed several open receivers early and threw an interception with 7:58 left in the game.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Illinois is set for a promotion after beating its third ranked opponent. Michigan should drop out.

FEAGIN DONE FOR THE SEASON

Bielema announced that Kaden Feagin, Illinois leading rusher, had surgery on his injured hip Friday and is out for the season.

FIRST TIME SINCE 1991

The Illini hadnt won a ranked vs. ranked home game since beating Ohio State in 1991. They lost three times to Michigan in a ranked vs. ranked home game since then, the last time in 2000.

UP NEXT

Illinois: visits No. 2 Oregon next Saturday.

Michigan: hosts Michigan State next Saturday.

___

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Today is Saturday, Oct. 19, the 293rd day of 2024. There are 73 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Oct. 19, 2005, Saddam Hussein was put on trial by the Iraqi Interim Government, accused of crimes against humanity.

Also on this date:

In 1781, British troops under Gen. Lord Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown, Virginia, as the American Revolution neared its end.

In 1914, the First Battle of Ypres began in World War I.

In 1960, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested during a sit-down protest at a lunch counter in Atlanta.

In 1977, the supersonic Concorde made its first landing in New York City, flying from Toulouse, France, in three hours and 44 minutes.

In 1987, the stock market crashed as the Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged 508 points, or 22.6% in value (its largest daily percentage loss ever), to close at 1,738.74 on what came to be known as “Black Monday.”

In 2003, Pope John Paul II beatified Mother Teresa during a ceremony in St. Peter’s Square.

In 2016, in the third and final 2016 presidential debate, Republican Donald Trump refused to say he would accept the results of the election if he were to lose.

Today’s Birthdays:

• Artist Peter Max is 87.
• Actor John Lithgow (LIHTH’-goh) is 79.
• Fox News host Steve Doocy is 68.
• Singer Jennifer Holliday is 64.
• Boxing Hall of Famer Evander Holyfield is 62.
• “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” host Ty Pennington is 60.
• Filmmaker Jon Favreau is 58.
• Former first daughter Amy Carter is 57.
• “South Park” co-creator Trey Parker is 55.
• Comedian Chris Kattan is 54.
• Musician Pras Michel (Fugees) is 52.
• Filmmaker Jason Reitman is 47.
• Actor Gillian Jacobs is 42.
• Actor Rebecca Ferguson is 41.

DETROIT (AP) Donald Trump paced his rally stage in silence for nearly 20 minutes Friday night in Detroit after his microphone cut out.

The Republican nominee and former president was about to wax on about one of his favorite subjects, tariffs, working up to naming it by first teasing the most beautiful word in the dictionary. Very quickly afterward, the sound went down.

The crowd chanted USA and We love Trump in support. But with no microphone, Trump simply wandered around the stage. Looking frustrated, his back was turned to most of his audience at times.

It was the second time in a week that one of his events was interrupted though the last time, on Monday, Trump cut off a town hall and instead played music after multiple people in the audience needed medical attention. This time, Trump appeared to have little control over the matter, standing silently while the screens in the room displayed the messages Technical Difficulties" and "Complicated Business.

Trump is famously attuned to his image and the mechanics of his rallies, often commenting on the microphones and teleprompters. Earlier Friday, the hosts of Fox & Friends joked that Trump likes to adjust the lighting when he sits for interviews.

Aides are known to travel with multiple backup mics though it was unclear why they weren't able to locate one immediately Friday and to carefully prepare the flags that decorate his stages.

As the delay stretched on, the crowd continued to cheer and chant. At one point, the crowd did the wave.

Finally, after nearly 20 minutes, an aide brought Trump a replacement microphone that worked.

I wont pay the bill for this stupid company," he said. I won't pay the bill, and then well have a story that Trump didnt pay the bill to a contractor.

By BERNARD CONDON

NEW YORK (AP) — Judges seeking appointments to the federal bench. Wealthy Republicans hoping for ambassadorships. Criminals who wanted pardons.

They were among the big spenders at Donald Trump ’s Washington, D.C., hotel while he was president. And many got what they wanted, according to a report released Friday by Democrats on the House Oversight Committee.

The 57-page report said spending at Trump’s luxury hotel by those seeking favors helped him turn the presidency into a “money-making opportunity,” raising the specter of more “pay to play” schemes should GOP presidential nominee be re-elected next month.

But the report, which focused on spending by U.S. officials rather than foreign governments, offered few new revelations from earlier findings as it was limited in scope. The committee’s Democrats, who are in the minority, documented $300,000 of such spending in just 11 months of Trump’s presidency spanning 2017 and 2018.

Records examined by the committee also did not always include whether the money was personal or from taxpayer sources. That distinction is necessary to show whether the payments amounted to a violation of the Constitution’s emoluments clause, which bars presidents from receiving payments or gifts from government officials without congressional approvals.

Among the examples cited: Two former ambassadors — one eventually sent to Germany and the other Switzerland — spending thousands of dollars at the hotel before and after they were confirmed for their positions. And campaign fundraiser Elliott Broidy spending more than $15,000 there before he was pardoned by Trump for illegal lobbying.

“We must put legal barriers in place now to prevent the kind of rip-off corruption our Founding Fathers so strongly opposed,” Rep. Jamie Raskin, the committee’s ranking member, said in calling for new legislation to prohibit such spending.

The Trump Organization said it charges government officials at cost at its properties, and described the report as purely political.

“This is just another desperate attempt by House Democrats to rehash an old unsubstantiated story just two weeks before the upcoming Presidential Election,” said company spokeswoman Kimberly Benza in a statement. “To be clear, The Trump Organization does not profit whatsoever from any government officials staying at our properties.”

In a statement, the Republican-controlled Oversight Committee called the report “more recycled garbage from the Democrats’ fruitless and close to a decade-long investigation of President Trump.”

The report was based on financial documents released by Trump’s former accounting firm, Mazars, at request of the Oversight Committee when the Democrats were in control. But the flow of those documents was shut down when the Republicans took over in 2023.

The report says at least 16 federal and state officials spent more than $100,000 at the Trump International Hotel while in office during the 11-month period, raising the possibility they used taxpayer money.

Spending by ambassadors to Canada, Croatia, Denmark, Germany, Hungary and the United Kingdom often came at times when they were on official business.

During a 2018 conference in Maryland, 10 miles from Washington, U.S. ambassadors to Germany, Switzerland and Canada chose to stay at the Trump hotel even though there were plenty of hotels closer to the conference site.

“Let’s Keep TRUMP hotel,” wrote then-Canadian Ambassador Kelly Craft in email after an aide suggested closer hotels. The charge for Craft’s stay was $1,395 per night, according to the report.

Former ambassador to Germany, Richard Grenell, stayed 19 nights at the hotel, half before he was confirmed as ambassador, spending nearly $10,000, the report says.

A spokeswoman for Craft said the former ambassador personally paid for all room expenses above the government-approved per diem rates, adding, “There was absolutely never any direct or indirect ‘pay to play’ inferences by President Trump or anyone associated with him.”

Grenell did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Trump administration has argued that government officials paying for products or services offered by a president, such as use of a hotel room, doesn’t count as a banned gift under the emoluments clause. The Supreme Court declined to rule when the issue came before it in 2021 because Trump had already left office.

Kathleen Clark, a government ethics expert, said the emoluments clause is only part of the problem.

“The fact that folks who eventually got pardons and others who sought appointments chose to line Trump’s pockets during this 11-month period is troubling, suggesting that those wanting Trump to take particular actions believed it was in their interest to spend money at his businesses,” said Clark, a law professor at Washington University in St. Louis. “Do we want a president who can be influenced this way?”

The report says four future federal judges also stayed at the hotel at key dates during the 11-month period while pursuing Trump’s nomination, Senate confirmation or both.

In addition to Broidy, the report detailed $6,000 in spending by other people pardoned by Trump, including real estate lawyer Albert Pirro for his tax evasion conviction and Ken Kurson who pleaded guilty to cyberstalking.

Broidy and Pirro did not immediately reply to requests for comment. Kurson declined to comment.

Friday’s report also added details to an earlier 2022 finding from the Oversight Committee that Trump’s company arranged for the Secret Service to pay for rooms in his properties in excess of government-approved rates. Such spending happened more than 40 times – twice for rooms over $1,200 a night – while agents were protecting the president and his family. Trump’s company previously claimed the Secret Service was being given rooms for free or for a nominal charge, “like $50,” or at cost.

Other reports by Democrats on the Oversight Committee found foreign governments and officials from 20 countries spent nearly $8 million at Trump properties, much of that while key policy decisions were being debated.

Trump’s company put $200 million into renovating the historic, federally-owned Old Post Office building into a hotel after signing a lease with the General Services Administration in 2012. Trump sold the hotel rights to a Miami-based investment group in 2022 for $375 million. The hotel is now a Waldorf Astoria.

Condon reported from New York.

By GARY D. ROBERTSON

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — More North Carolina residents turned out to cast ballots on the first day of early voting this year than in 2020, even as residents from the mountainous western portion of the state continued to recover from the devastating effects of Hurricane Helene.

Preliminary data shows a record 353,166 people cast ballots at more than 400 early voting sites statewide on Thursday, compared to 348,599 on the first day in October 2020, the State Board of Elections said Friday.

As North Carolina’s population and voter registration continues to grow, Thursday’s total as a percentage of the current number of registered voters in the state was slightly lower compared to the percentage of the electorate four years ago, according to data provided by the board. Thursday’s number was 4.54% of the state’s 7.78 million voters, while the 2020 first-day figure was 4.78% of the 7.29 million registrants at the time.

The number of ballots that were cast and voters who were registered as of Thursday is expected to increase as county election boards continue to upload data, board spokesperson Pat Gannon said.

Lines and full parking lots were common on Thursday at voting sites in highly populated Piedmont counties and in the mountainous region where historic flooding three weeks ago destroyed homes, roads and bridges and knocked out power and water systems. The board said Friday it had received no reports of significant issues or voting problems.

Thursday’s turnout “is a clear sign that voters are energized about this election, that they trust the elections process, and that a hurricane will not stop North Carolinians from exercising their right to vote,” state board Executive Director Karen Brinson Bell said in a news release. Clear, sunny weather on Thursday likely aided the turnout, according to election officials.

Helene was the deadliest hurricane to hit the U.S. mainland since Katrina in 2005, decimating remote towns throughout Appalachia and killing at least 246 people, with a little over half of the storm-related deaths in North Carolina.

While electricity has nearly been fully restored in western North Carolina, tens of thousands lack access to clean running water. Still, all but four of the 80 early voting sites initially planned for the 25 western counties hardest hit by the storm were open on Thursday.

“Obviously, any time you have something this cataclysmic, it’s going to disrupt people’s lives,” early voter Bill Whalen, 75, of Asheville, said Thursday, but “at least in my neighborhood, there’s a widespread understanding of the importance of this election and how important it is to vote.”

The early-vote period, which continues through Nov. 2 in all 100 counties, is extremely popular in North Carolina. More than 3.6 million ballots — 65% of all ballots — were cast during early voting in the 2020 general election. Voters can simultaneously register to vote and cast a ballot during the 17-day period.

Traditional absentee balloting began several days before Helene reached the state. More than 75,000 ballots were received from in-state, military and overseas voters through Thursday, the board said.

In addition to president, the North Carolina ballot also includes races for governor, attorney general and several other statewide positions. All U.S. House and General Assembly seats also are up for reelection.

Associated Press video journalist Erik Verduzco in Asheville, North Carolina, contributed to this report.

By KATE BRUMBACK and JEFF AMY

ATLANTA (AP) — National and state Republicans on Thursday appealed a judge’s ruling that said seven election rules recently passed by Georgia’s State Election Board are “illegal, unconstitutional and void.”

The Republican National Committee and the Georgia Republican Party are appealing a ruling from Fulton County Superior Court Judge Thomas Cox, who ruled Wednesday that the State Election Board did not have the authority to pass the rules and ordered it to immediately inform all state and local election officials that the rules are void and not to be followed.

The rules that Cox invalidated include three that had gotten a lot of attention — one that requires that the number of ballots be hand-counted after the close of polls and two that had to do with the certification of election results.

In a statement Thursday announcing the appeal. RNC Chairman Michael Whatley accused Cox of “the very worst of judicial activism.”

“By overturning the Georgia State Election Board’s commonsense rules passed to safeguard Georgia’s elections, the judge sided with the Democrats in their attacks on transparency, accountability, and the integrity of our elections,” Whatley said. “We have immediately appealed this egregious order to ensure commonsense rules are in place for the election — we will not let this stand.”

The ruling came in a lawsuit filed by Eternal Vigilance Action, an organization founded and led by former state Rep. Scot Turner, a Republican. The suit argued that the State Election Board overstepped its authority in adopting the rules.

The ruling was hailed as a victory by Democrats and voting rights groups, who say rules the State Election Board has passed in recent months could be used by allies of Donald Trump to cast doubt on results if the former president loses the presidential election to Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris. Recent appointments to the five-member board have put three Trump-endorsed Republicans in the majority. They have passed new rules over the objections of the board’s lone Democrat and the nonpartisan chair.

County election officials from around the state — the people who run the elections — have voiced concerns over the flood of new rules taking effect so close to Election Day.

The other rules Cox said are illegal and unconstitutional are ones that: require someone delivering an absentee ballot in person to provide a signature and photo ID; demand video surveillance and recording of ballot drop boxes after polls close during early voting; expand the mandatory designated areas where partisan poll watchers can stand at tabulation centers; and require daily public updates of the number of votes cast during early voting.

By BARBARA ORTUTAY, AP Technology Writer

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Just weeks before the U.S. presidential election, TikTok approved advertisements that contained election disinformation even though it has a ban on political ads, according to a report published Thursday by the nonprofit Global Witness.

The technology and environmental watchdog group submitted ads that it designed to test how well systems at social media companies work in detecting different types of election misinformation.

The group, which did a similar investigation two years ago, did find that the companies — especially Facebook — have improved their content-moderation systems since then.

But it called out TikTok for approving four of the eight ads submitted for review that contained falsehoods about the election. That’s despite the platform’s ban on all political ads in place since 2019.

The ads never appeared on TikTok because Global Witness pulled them before they went online.

“Four ads were incorrectly approved during the first stage of moderation, but did not run on our platform,” TikTok spokesman Ben Rathe said. “We do not allow political advertising and will continue to enforce this policy on an ongoing basis.”

Facebook, which is owned by Meta Platforms Inc., “did much better” and approved just one of the eight submitted ads, according to the report.

In a statement, Meta said while “this report is extremely limited in scope and as a result not reflective of how we enforce our policies at scale, we nonetheless are continually evaluating and improving our enforcement efforts.”

Google’s YouTube did the best, Global Witness said, approving four ads but not letting any publish. It asked for more identification from the Global Witness testers before it would publish them and “paused” their account when they didn’t. However, the report said it is not clear whether the ads would have gone through had Global Witness provided the required identification.

Google did not immediately respond to a message for comment.

Companies nearly always have stricter policies for paid ads than they do for regular posts from users. The ads submitted by Global Witness included outright false claims about the election — such as stating that Americans can vote online — as well as false information designed to suppress voting, like claims that voters must pass an English test before casting a ballot. Other fake ads encouraged violence or threatened electoral workers and processes.

The ads Global Witness submitted were text-based, but the group said it translated them into what it called “algospeak.” This is a widely used trick to try to bypass internet companies’ text-focused content moderation systems by substituting numbers and symbols as stand-in for letters, making it harder for automated systems to “read” the text.

By Christine Fernando, Associated Press

CHICAGO (AP) — Donald Trump has had a tough time finding a consistent message to questions about abortion and reproductive rights.

The former president has constantly shifted his stances or offered vague, contradictory and at times nonsensical answers to questions on an issue that has become a major vulnerability for Republicans in this year’s election. Trump has been trying to win over voters, especially women, skeptical about his views, especially after he nominated three Supreme Court justices who helped overturn the nationwide right to abortion two years ago.

The latest example came this week when the Republican presidential nominee said some abortion laws are “too tough” and would be “redone.”

“It’s going to be redone,” he said during a Fox News town hall that aired Wednesday. “They’re going to, you’re going to, you end up with a vote of the people. They’re too tough, too tough. And those are going to be redone because already there’s a movement in those states.”

Trump did not specify if he meant he would take some kind of action if he wins in November, and he did not say which states or laws he was talking about. He did not elaborate on what he meant by “redone.”

He also seemed to be contradicting his own stand when referencing the strict abortion bans passed in Republican-controlled states since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Trump recently said he would vote against a constitutional amendment on the Florida ballot that is aimed at overturning the state’s six-week abortion ban. That decision came after he had criticized the law as too harsh.

Trump has shifted between boasting about nominating the justices who helped strike down federal protections for abortion and trying to appear more neutral. It’s been an attempt to thread the divide between his base of anti-abortion supporters and the majority of Americans who support abortion rights.

About 6 in 10 Americans think their state should generally allow a person to obtain a legal abortion if they don’t want to be pregnant for any reason, according to a July poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Voters in seven states, including some conservative ones, have either protected abortion rights or defeated attempts to restrict them in statewide votes over the past two years.

Trump also has been repeating the narrative that he returned the question of abortion rights to states, even though voters do not have a direct say on that or any other issue in about half the states. This is particularly true for those living in the South, where Republican-controlled legislatures, many of which have been gerrymandered to give the GOP disproportionate power, have enacted some of the strictest abortion bans since Roe v. Wade was overturned.

Currently, 13 states have banned abortion at all stages of pregnancy, while four more ban it after six weeks — before many women know they’re pregnant.

Meanwhile, anti-abortion groups and their Republican allies in state governments are using an array of strategies to counter proposed ballot initiatives in at least eight states this year.

Here’s a breakdown of Trump’s fluctuating stances on reproductive rights.

Flip-flopping on Florida

On Tuesday, Trump claimed some abortion laws are “too tough” and would be “redone.”

But in August, Trump said he would vote against a state ballot measure that is attempting to repeal the six-week abortion ban passed by the Republican-controlled Legislature and signed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.

That came a day after he seemed to indicate he would vote in favor of the measure. Trump previously called Florida’s six-week ban a “terrible mistake” and too extreme. In an April Time magazine interview, Trump repeated that he “thought six weeks is too severe.”

Trump on vetoing a national ban

Trump’s latest flip-flopping has involved his views on a national abortion ban.

During the Oct. 1 vice presidential debate, Trump posted on his social media platform Truth Social that he would veto a national abortion ban: “Everyone knows I would not support a federal abortion ban, under any circumstances, and would, in fact, veto it.”

This came just weeks after Trump repeatedly declined to say during the presidential debate with Democrat Kamala Harris whether he would veto a national abortion ban if he were elected.

Trump’s running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, said in an interview with NBC News before the presidential debate that Trump would veto a ban. In response to debate moderators prompting him about Vance’s statement, Trump said: “I didn’t discuss it with JD, in all fairness. And I don’t mind if he has a certain view, but I don’t think he was speaking for me.”

‘Pro-choice’ to 15-week ban

Trump’s shifting abortion policy stances began when the former reality TV star and developer started flirting with running for office.

He once called himself “very pro-choice.” But before becoming president, Trump said he “would indeed support a ban,” according to his book “The America We Deserve,” which was published in 2000.

In his first year as president, he said he was “pro-life with exceptions” but also said “there has to be some form of punishment” for women seeking abortions — a position he quickly reversed.

At the 2018 annual March for Life, Trump voiced support for a federal ban on abortion on or after 20 weeks of pregnancy.

More recently, Trump suggested in March that he might support a national ban on abortions around 15 weeks before announcing that he instead would leave the matter to the states.

Views on abortion pills, prosecuting women

In the Time interview, Trump said it should be left up to the states to decide whether to prosecute women for abortions or to monitor women’s pregnancies.

“The states are going to make that decision,” Trump said. “The states are going to have to be comfortable or uncomfortable, not me.”

Democrats have seized on the comments he made in 2016, saying “there has to be some form of punishment” for women who have abortions.

Trump also declined to comment on access to the abortion pill mifepristone, claiming that he has “pretty strong views” on the matter. He said he would make a statement on the issue, but it never came.

Trump responded similarly when asked about his views on the Comstock Act, a 19th century law that has been revived by anti-abortion groups seeking to block the mailing of mifepristone.

IVF and contraception

In May, Trump said during an interview with a Pittsburgh television station that he was open to supporting regulations on contraception and that his campaign would release a policy on the issue “very shortly.” He later said his comments were misinterpreted.

In the KDKA interview, Trump was asked, “Do you support any restrictions on a person’s right to contraception?”

“We’re looking at that and I’m going to have a policy on that very shortly,” Trump responded.

Trump has not since released a policy statement on contraception.

Trump also has offered contradictory statements on in vitro fertilization.

During the Fox News town hall, which was taped Tuesday, Trump declared that he is “the father of IVF,” despite acknowledging during his answer that he needed an explanation of IVF in February after the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos can be considered children under state law.

Trump said he instructed Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., to “explain IVF very quickly” to him in the aftermath of the ruling.

As concerns over access to fertility treatments rose, Trump pledged to promote IVF by requiring health insurance companies or the federal government to pay for it. Such a move would be at odds with the actions of much of his own party.

Even as the Republican Party has tried to create a national narrative that it is receptive to IVF, these messaging efforts have been undercut by GOP state lawmakers, Republican-dominated courts and anti-abortion leaders within the party’s ranks, as well as opposition to legislative attempts to protect IVF access.

The Associated Press receives support from several private foundations to enhance its explanatory coverage of elections and democracy. See more about AP’s democracy initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are vying for workers’ support in a race that could mark a pivotal moment for organized labor.

By FERNANDA FIGUEROA and MELISSA PEREZ WINDER

CHICAGO (AP) — For Luis Martinez, competing in lowriding bike and car competitions is about more than glory and bragging rights. The lowrider clubs in the Chicago area have become like one big family and a source of mutual support.

“It just starts with the metal,” said Martinez, who got his introduction to lowrider culture when his mother took him to a flea market. He had his first bike when he was 12.

“To me, it’s about expressing my art and what I can do with my own hands,” Martinez told The Associated Press as he polished a shiny red bike at his home in Mishawaka, Indiana.

A movement of expression with origins in Mexican American and Chicano communities, lowriding is an aspect of Latino history in the U.S. in which people show their pride, honor family and uplift culture. But misrepresentation of the culture in entertainment and media has often associated the lowriding’s “low and slow” motto with gang culture.

Still, decades since its emergence, and as the Hispanic U.S. population increases, lowriding has experienced a boom, as evidenced by an increase in car shows and conventions nationwide.

Lowriding involves the customization of a vehicle — from the tires to the sound system — with vivid designs and colors. Unlike hot rods or muscle cars, which are often modified to have big tires and move at high speeds, the lowrider community modified the cars and bikes to go “low and slow,” said Alberto Pulido, the chair of the Ethnic Studies department at the University of San Diego.

“It was a way to speak to an identity, a presence and it was done with few resources,” said Pulido, who also directed the award-winning documentary, “Lowriding: Everything Comes From the Streets.”

“Our community didn’t have a lot of money,” he said. “They might have had a little bit expendable income to buy a car but then they were kind of on their own to create their vehicles. We call that Chicano ingenuity.”

Lowriding blends Latino and American culture

According to Pulido, lowriding originated in the Southwest, although there are disputes about where exactly it first appeared. Pulido said lowriders in Los Angeles would like to make the claim they were the first, while those in San Diego want their undeniable influence in the culture acknowledged.

The culture can be traced to post-World War II, when veterans were coming home with an expendable income. And with the growth of highways and freeways in California, people wanted to modify their vehicles, Pulido said.

Today, conventions attract enthusiasts from all over the U.S. Last month, what was once a small showcase with only 40 lowriders at Lincoln Park in El Paso, Texas, grew to over 300 lowriders from clubs across the U.S.

Hector Gonzalez, of the Lincoln Park Conservation Committee, said the car clubs help members travel to all the showcases in the nation. In the ’70s and ’80s, lowrider clubs became a representation of the community and offered mutual aid such as ride-sharing and food donations when the local government could not or would not, Gonzalez said.

“It is something that gets passed on from generation to generation,” said Gonzalez, who, like most lowriders, was introduced to the community with a bike at the young age of 13. He has passed on his love for lowriding to his own children, nephews and cousins

“Kids grow up seeing the cars, they pick it up and they carry on the tradition,” Gonzalez said.

Lauren Pacheco, co-founder and co-curator of the Slow and Low Chicago Low Rider Festival, described lowriding as a global, multibillion-dollar phenomenon of self-expression and innovation.

“It’s a marvel of mechanical innovation,” Pacheco said. “It is the beautiful artistry in the creative practice of muralism, storytelling and upholstery.”

Within the last decade, lowrider conventions have grown so much that they’ve made their way to Japan. In Nagoya, Japanese lowriders have modified their cars, created clubs and even come to events at Chicano Park in San Diego.

Lowrider community sheds gang culture stereotype

Appreciation for lowriding has increased in recent years, enthusiasts say. But that was not always the case.

In the beginning, lowriding was associated with harmful stereotypes about Latinos as gangsters, Pulido said. Because the culture involved predominantly Latino participants, lowriding became racialized and that overshadowed the artistic and community service aspects of the movement.

The 1979 thriller-drama “Boulevard Nights” also helped to perpetuate the lowriders as gangsters trope. The film’s main character, Raymond Avila, played by Richard Yñiguez tried to avoid getting lured into the violent street gangs of East Los Angeles. Lowriding vehicles and the lowrider “cholo” aesthetic was featured throughout the film.

While the perception of lowriding has since gotten better, Pulido said he has been to lowriding car shows where police immediately show up.

Martinez, the Indiana lowrider, said lowriding misconceptions grew in the Chicago area because the community members were tattooed in ways often associated with gang affiliation. Pacheco said the Chicago festival works to dispel those misconceptions.

“We really try not to create a space that glamorizes or romanticizes gang culture,” she said. “It’s really a celebration of creativity and innovation and family.”

Lowriding culture becomes a booming industry

Gonzalez, the Texas lowriding showcase organizer, said the culture’s focus on wheels, hydraulic systems and accessories, has helped lowriding become a booming industry.

In El Paso, people have opened small businesses orientated to the lowriding community. In the last couple of years, at least 25 new businesses opened, including body shops, upholstery shops and apparel shops, Gonzalez said.

“It has become a mainstream business,” he said. “Back in the 70s and 80s, it was more of a local thing. Everybody helping each other do things on their own. Now there’s just all kinds of opportunities to purchase things and have things done to your vehicle.”

Originally from Dallas, Texas, Martinez said he would buy the parts he needed from a man in his neighborhood, who would buy in bulk from Lowrider magazine. He said the unfortunate thing about lowriding becoming so big is parts are now mass produced from China instead of being Mexican made.

Lowriding carries family legacy

But lowriding is not just about the often pricey task of modifying cars, Pulido said. It is about building a community that is always there for each other, throughout generations, he said.

“We have grandparents that are lowriders and then their kids and their grandkids are in tune already,” Pulido said.

It’s a legacy that Sonia Gomez wants for her 8-year-old son, Daniel Marquez. His late father, Alberto Marquez, had been a member of a Chicago area lowrider club. Too young to drive the car left to him by his father, Daniel has a lowriding bike that is more of a memorial to his dad.

“The bike is what he’s doing to build it up,” Gomez said.

The family will do an ofrenda, a display often associated with Mexican Dia de los Muertos celebrations, when local lowriding festivals are held. As part of the ofrenda, Daniel takes an image he has with his father on a lowriding bike and places it next to his actual bike, which he named “Wishing on a Star.”

“We would either go on a (lowriding) cruise with my uncle, or we would go to actual car shows,” Daniel recently recalled, while sitting at the driver’s seat of his dad’s lowriding car parked in the driveway of their home in Frankfort, Illinois.

“My mom would be there,” he said pointing to the passenger seat. “And I’d be back there all squished.”

The Associated Press received financial support from the Sony Global Social Justice Fund to expand certain coverage areas. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

By  JESSICA DAMIANO

If you’ve been pining to plant a tree, now is a great time.

The season’s cooling temperatures and still-warm soil mean less stress on newly planted trees, which allows them to direct more energy into growing strong roots rather than struggling to survive the heat and drought often seen in summer. And, because the trees are preparing for dormancy, that energy doesn’t have to be shared with root and flower growth.

Since planting a tree is a long-term investment, it’s important to get it right, and that will require a bit of research.

For starters, choose the right tree. Yes, this means selecting a tree that will make you happy, but it also means taking your hardiness zone, soil type, sunlight exposure and natural moisture levels into consideration.

The tree’s mature size is important, too, lest it grow into overhead electrical wires, eaves or other overhangs, or its roots grow to interfere with underground utilities.

When digging a hole, make it twice as wide as the tree’s root ball and exactly as deep. Then remove the tree from its container and place it in the center of the hole, taking care to support it under its roots rather than holding it by the trunk.

Evaluate its depth. It should land level with the ground around it so that when planted, all the roots are covered with soil, but the flare where the bottom of the trunk attaches to them is not. If the top of the root ball is too high, remove the tree and dig the hole deeper; if it’s too low, add more soil to the bottom of the hole, tamp it firmly and check again.

If your new tree came balled-and-burlapped rather than in a container, that means it was grown in a field and dug up for sale. Although often larger, these trees are more susceptible to transplant shock because their roots are severed in the digging process. Canvas or burlap is tied around the remaining root system to retain soil and prevent the roots from falling apart during transport. Sometimes, roots are enclosed in a wire cage.

After you’ve situated the tree at the proper depth in the hole, cut and remove the twine (or use wire cutters to remove the cage) and cut away as much of the burlap as possible, allowing the portion under the roots to remain; it will gradually decompose without interfering with root growth. (However, if the roots are wrapped in a synthetic material like plastic or vinyl, remove it all.)

If the roots appears tightly wound, gently loosen them with a garden fork to allow them to grow outward into the soil.

Next, confirm the tree is straight, then backfill the hole with soil, periodically tamping it down to eliminate air pockets. Never mound soil up against the trunk.

Thoroughly moisten the soil with a slow flow of water. Allow the surface to dry for a day or so, then add 2 inches of compost or well-rotted manure, topped with 2 inches of wood chips or mulch, over the soil, extending at least as far as the branches extend overhead. Push those materials 4 inches away from the trunk (never mound soil, amendments or mulch up against trunks “volcano” style; the practice slowly kills trees).

Water your new tree regularly during its first 12 months, especially during hot and dry spells. Then, familiarize yourself with the species’ requirements. Some tree types will need supplemental watering throughout their lives, but others will not.

Jessica Damiano writes weekly gardening columns for the AP and publishes the award-winning Weekly Dirt Newsletter. You can sign up here for weekly gardening tips and advice.

PLAINS, Ga. (AP) — Jimmy Carter cast his ballot in the 2024 election Wednesday.

The former president voted by mail, the Carter Center confirmed in a statement. It happened barely two weeks after Carter celebrated his 100th birthday on Oct. 1 at his home in Plains, Georgia, where he’s been living in hospice care.

His son Chip Carter said before the family gathering that his father had this election very much in mind.

“He’s plugged in,” Chip Carter told The Associated Press. “I asked him two months ago if he was trying to live to be 100, and he said, ‘No, I’m trying to live to vote for Kamala Harris.’”

The Carter Center’s brief statement said it had no more details to share.

Georgia’s registered voters have been turning out in record numbers since early voting began Monday. Nearly 460,000 had voted in-person or cast absentee ballots by Tuesday afternoon, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said.

Carter’s vote should count even if he’s no longer alive by Election Day on Nov. 5.

Robert Sinners, a spokesman for the secretary of state’s office, noted that Georgia election rules state that when an absentee ballot is received by local election officials “it shall be deemed to have been voted then and there.”

By Steve Peoples, Colleen Long and Nicholas Riccardi, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — As the presidential race moves into its final weeks, Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump embarked on an interview blitz that offered new details about their policy priorities and their political strategies.

In recent days, Harris has sat with Charlamagne tha God, whose radio show is especially popular among younger and Black audiences, and will be interviewed on Fox News, typically a safe haven for Republicans. Trump, meanwhile, participated in a contentious interview with the editor of Bloomberg News at an economic forum in Chicago, though the crowd was friendly to him, and participated in town halls on Fox News and the Spanish-language network Univision.

Here are some takeaways from the cascade of appearances:

Controlled campaigns are going public

Both candidates have largely avoided traditional interviews during the campaign, preferring to sit before friendly hosts, often in nontraditional media settings. The two-day interview marathon was a noteworthy, partial break from that strategy.

Harris, whom the Trump campaign hammered for not doing interviews after replacing President Joe Biden at the top of the Democratic ticket, has ramped up the pace this month. The Vice President appeared on ABC’s “The View,” spoke with radio host Howard Stern and taped a show with late-night comedian Stephen Colbert, among other appearances. She also sat down with the newsmagazine “60 Minutes,” as is traditional for presidential candidates, while Trump canceled his appearance with the show.

Harris’ appearance on Fox with anchor Bret Baier on Wednesday seemed designed to show her willingness to face any questioner, especially after Trump bailed on “60 Minutes.”

The former president’s interview by Bloomberg editor-in-chief John Micklethwait in Chicago on Tuesday was an unusual appearance before a nonconservative questioner, though the audience frequently cheered him when he clashed with the interviewer. Micklethwait challenged Trump’s support for tariffs and his plans to pay for his campaign promises.

He also faced an all-women audience in a Fox News town hall before participating in a town hall on the Spanish-language network Univision, where he faced pointed questions from Latino voters. Like Harris, Trump is trying to broaden his coalition to get the key votes he needs to win the neck-and-neck race. So, for him as well, every interview counts.

Trump offers tacit acknowledgment that he’s vulnerable on abortion

Trump has repeatedly said he is proud of his leading role in the reversal of Roe v Wade. But his latest comments on abortion serve as a fresh reminder that the Republican understands that the issue is dangerous politically for him and his party.

He was forced to defend his position when asked a surprisingly pointed question from the all-women audience at a Fox News town hall.

“Women are entitled to do what they want to and need to do with their bodies, including their unborn. That’s on them regardless of the circumstance,” the questioner said. “Some are necessary to save their own lives. Why is the government involved in women’s basic rights?”

Trump initially responded with his typical refrain that the issue had been returned to the states. But he also acknowledged that some of the state laws are “too tough.” And he went further: “And this is going to be redone, because already there’s a movement in those states … to redo it.”

It’s not exactly clear what Trump was referring to. There is little evidence that pro-Trump Republican officials in states that have adopted strict abortion bans, some that take effect before many women realize they’re pregnant, are taking action to “redo” their laws.

A few states with strict bans have questions on the ballot this year that would roll them back. That includes Florida, where Trump has criticized the ban as too harsh but also said he would vote to uphold the law.

The truth is that the reversal of Roe has been a political disaster for Trump’s Republican Party. Women have revolted against the GOP in various elections since the Supreme Court ruling. But Trump is betting that muddying the waters with vague promises and a softer tone might limit the damage come November.

Harris agrees that Trump is a ‘fascist’ as Trump doubles down on authoritarian rhetoric

Charlamagne pushed the limits of Harris’ rhetoric when the Democrat reminded voters that they had “two choices … and it’s two very different visions for our nation.”

“The other is about fascism. Why can’t we just say it?” Charlamagne interjected.

Harris immediately replied: “Yes, we can say that.”

It was the first time that the vice president so directly and publicly agreed with that kind of language to describe Trump. The exchange underscored Harris’ decision to revert to a key Biden argument as Election Day draws near: Democracy is on the line on Nov. 5. And, the Democratic argument goes, Trump is unfit to lead because of his lies about the legitimacy of the 2020 election, his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot and his consistent authoritarian rhetoric, among other things.

Trump offered a fresh example during his appearances on Fox and Univision.

When pressed about his supporters’ violent attack against the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, Trump defended his loyalists. “That was a day of love from the standpoint of the millions,” he said on Univision.

He also refused to back down from his weekend comments that his Democratic rivals represent a more serious threat to the United States than China and Russia. Over the weekend and again in the Fox interview, he called them “the enemy within.”

Experts have warned that such language is common among authoritarian leaders seeking to quell dissent.

“It is the enemy from within, and they’re very dangerous. They’re Marxists and communists and fascists,” Trump said on Fox, naming former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., who served on the congressional committee that investigated Trump’s role in the Jan. 6 insurrection.

“We have China, we have Russia, we have all these countries. If you have a smart president, they can all be handled. The more difficult are, you know, Pelosi, these people, they’re so sick and they’re so evil.”

Both campaigns are vying to win over Black men

In an election that could be decided on the margins, every vote counts. In the final stretch toward the election, Trump and Harris are turning their focus to Black men.

Harris, in her interview with Charlamagne, warned that Trump wanted to oversee a return to harsh policing tactics known as “stop and frisk” that disproportionately affect Black men. She promised to push for legislation to address discriminatory law enforcement practices and decriminalize marijuana arrests, which also affect Black men disproportionately. And she said that reparations for ancestors of slaves should be studied, a position that isn’t new but one that Trump has sought to exploit to help strengthen his advantage with white voters.

It was among the first times this campaign season that criminal justice reforms have been a leading talking point for Harris, though they dominated in 2020.

Trump oozed confidence when he addressed Black voters on Tuesday. Both parties concede that while Harris is likely to win Black voters overwhelmingly, Trump is eating into her margins, especially among young Black men. Any significant shift could be consequential in a razor-thin election.

“Any African American or Hispanic, and you know how well I’m doing there, that votes for Kamala, you’ve got to have your head examined,” Trump said.

Harris said part of her challenge is that Trump’s campaign is “trying to scare people away because otherwise they know they have nothing to run on.”

“Ask Donald Trump what is his plan for Black America,” she said. “Ask him.”

Peoples reported from New York. Riccardi reported from Denver.